Jane Faulkner on what makes Kerri Thompson’s Peglidis riesling so special

For winemaker Kerri Thompson, it’s always been about riesling. Afterall, for nearly 30 years, Clare Valley has been her home and workplace, so it makes complete sense she has a thing for the noble variety. But, specifically, Watervale, especially one single site.

“I’ve always been drawn to Watervale as a subregion for riesling,” she says. “I just love the intensity it has, the succulent core and the fruit weight. What joy.”

And that joy was realised at an exceptional tasting that included 20 vintages of the single-vineyard Peglidis Watervale riesling, under her KT label, from the inaugural 2007 to the newly released ’26.

“This is a special milestone because we are not only celebrating KT Wines but the special relationship I share with my growers, Bunny and Yvonne Peglidis. They are absolute legends. They’ve become like my grandparents over the years. Bunny is 93 and Yvonne 85, and they are still very hands-on in the vineyard. It’s one they have looked after (and cared for sustainably) for over half a century.”

KT, Bunny and Yvonne in the vineyard.

In 1970, Bunny and Yvonne planted the dry-grown vineyard with its north-south orientation, comprising 3.4ha riesling and 1.6ha shiraz. Today, every grape is allocated to KT Wines.

Before the vertical, Kerri plays a delightful video featuring the spritely Bunny and Yvonne, alongside her long-term production manager, Brendan Pudney (it’s on her website, do check it out to witness their special relationship). It’s insightful as much as amusing. At one point Kerri mentions how a key element to growing this exceptional riesling is its soil – “beautiful chocolate loam hits the limestone (important for its water-holding capacity)”. Bunny mentions growing cabbages, to which Kerri adds: “I’m so glad you’re growing riesling and not cabbages!”

As to the wines, they’ve been crafted at Skillogalee since day one (by happenstance, in ’22 Kerri was appointed its winemaker, a good story for another day). While new winery equipment such as a sorter and Europress have significantly improved the wines since ’21, she says, Peglidis is made simply with gentle processing and “just free-run deliciousness”. Only the best parcels make it into the flagship, with the remaining fruit siphoned off for her other wines such as the fabulous Melva, which is wild-fermented, aged in old oak and an off-dry style.

Apart from a cool fermentation, what sets Peglidis apart from many other Clare Valley rieslings is the use of lees at both the juice and post-fermentation stages; and time on lees, often up to four months, is essential to build texture. Thus, extract has ensured the suite of older wines in the line-up appear incredibly youthful.

Growers Bunny (pictured) and Yvonne have been caring for the vineyard for over half a century.

However, the tasting is “not about picking favourites, although there will be some vintages that cellar better than others,” Kerri says. “For me, it’s the story of the site and the spirit of the place, and the concept of provenance.”

While none need convincing on how beautifully this variety can age, her line-up is another testament to that, with the ’07 revealing beautiful, aged characters of lime marmalade, baked ricotta and candied lemon, but also texture and fine acidity. All the wines possess a vitality, a distinctiveness, stamped with a Peglidis DNA, and a particular feel to the natural acidity (Kerri rarely acidifies).

It’s a tasting that can never be repeated. Kerri had to source bottles of the 2014 to complete the line-up, and we tasted the last bottles of several vintages. No regrets. I left with a sense of euphoria but also admiration for her two-decade long connection with the Peglidis’ site and the people who started it. What a legacy.